Wrestling Zone: Weekly Round-Up 1/2
Posted by Arnprior on May 30, 2009 in News • No comments
Thumper here with this week’s tidbits and whatnots to have taken place in the wide world of pro wrestling. And since it’s a big wide world, we had to cut it all in half. Keep you eyes peeled for part 2 tomorrow, or get your fix by joining us burly brawlers in the Sport Section’s Wrestling Department on QSS forum.
Douglas has been quietly trying to rebuild his life to where he wants it to be, and is realizing that this is his chance to really have one last run at glory in pro wrestling and end his career on his own terms. He doesn’t want to be the type of performer that he used to intensely criticize in his ECW promos. Douglas used to go on and on about old wrestlers not being what they used to be and hanging onto their past. He specifically used to talk about Ric Flair, and now that Douglas is in the same position Flair was in 1995 and the tables have been turned, a major TNA storyline will be coming from it and mirroring his real-life situation.
On iMPACT last night, Douglas attacked Christopher Daniels after the main event with AJ Styles because he was disgruntled about not being given a second chance after being fired, like Daniels was.
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Considering Wrestlemania XXV performed so well on pay-per-view in Mexico, more cable systems in Mexico plan on offering more WWE pay-per-view events. For years, all WWE pay-per-view events had been airing on regular television in Mexico because people aren’t culturally used to paying for wrestling on television.
- Maryse is now the longest reigning WWE Divas Champion in history, having held the title for 157 days as of today. She broke Michelle McCool’s previous record of 155 days as title holder yesterday.
- Internally, multiple sources are under the impression that Jeff Hardy has not signed a new contract with World Wrestling Entertainment. Matt Hardy posted a blog on his MySpace account last week seemingly hinting that his brother had struck a deal, but he never directly said that was the case. In a follow-up blog, Hardy basically said he enjoys getting a rise out of wrestling websites trying to figure out what he writes.
He wrote: “One that most of the wrestling newsites translated as having something to do with Jeff and the WWE. Maybe it did, maybe it didn’t. Time will tell. Although I must admit, I thoroughly enjoyed them picking up the story and trying to decipher it. Plus, it made my blog the #1 myspace blog for a couple days-good press and publicity, thanks guys! It’s no secret I love putting pieces of info out there that allow people to interpret it how they wish. And no, no one made me take it down for letting “the cat out of the bag” HAHA. Here is the original text for those who missed it (and yes, you must highlight it to see it)..”
One source said it’s possible he will agree to a short-term extension that would keep him working for the company temporarily until some of the other top stars return to television, but that was simply speculation on his part.
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Former WWE creative team member Freddie Prinze Jr. will be joining the cast of the greatest show on TV, FOX’s 24. Prinze will be playing Davis Cole, an ex-Marine working for CTU and following in the footsteps of Jack Bauer.
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Rob Van Dam, who has wrapped shooting on his new movie A Wrong Side of Town, has posted a new blog on the WWE Universe where he talks about why he’s not back wrestling yet. Here’s what he had to say:
In case you don’t know why you don’t see me on tv every week, here it is. After wrestling for many years, I got tired of never being home with my wife in California. Traveling almost every day, every week, every month, every year was eventually something I no longer wanted to do. Finishing my contract in 2007, I opted to take a necessary break, and am still on that indefinite break. I’m very good at listening to the guidance life provides, and at this time I am still not ready to live on the road. I love being home and have been needed here in ways I didn’t expect over the last year or so.
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Shane Sewell has issued his first public comments regarding his departure from TNA Wrestling in a blog on his Facebook account.
“As I am sure that most of you have read or heard over the past weekend, I am no longer working with TNA Wrestling,” Sewell wrote.” There’s really not too much to tell you other than my contract with TNA was up for renewal, and unfortunately we just couldn’t come to amicable terms for a new deal. Both sides really did try to make it work.”
“It was just business, and no painful behind-the-scenes drama. TNA has some great people in the company, and it was a pleasure having the opportunity to work with some of the best talent in the business today.”
He also took a veiled shot at Booker T and the TNA Legends Championship.
“So what’s next??? Well to start with, I am going to be working regularly back in my beautiful adopted homeland of Puerto Rico,” Sewell wrote. “A place where I don’t need a cheap knock-off belt to be called a legend. A country where my years of blood, sweat and tears for the wrestling business and it’s fans have already EARNED that legends status for me. A place where I can’t wait to go toe-to-toe with some of the visiting “Main-Eventers” while they’re away from the safety of their network TV script-writers and back room politics… Can you dig THAT???”
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The Sun reports that TNA Knockout Christy Hemme was scheduled to meet with TNA management this week to discuss her future with the company.
It doesn’t look like Hemme will be wrestling anytime soon as she was diagnosed with two herniated discs in her neck. The injury came when she was training in-ring with AJ Styles back in January and refused to go in for surgery. She instead chose an operation called neuro-cranial realignment.
According to The Sun’s report, Hemme started working out in the gym two weeks ago. A source close to Hemme thought she was retired from pro wrestling but the former WWE Diva said in a recent radio interview that she was working hard at getting back in the ring.
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The Sun reports that former Legacy member Sim Snuka is in the doghouse for various reasons. Snuka hasn’t been used in a while. There were reports before WWE’s Superstars program began airing that Sim was being considered for an announcing role but obviously that never happened.
- On ECW this week, Finlay was pulled from the six-man main event after they did an angle where Finlay’s eye was injured while pulling apart Christian and Tommy Dreamer backstage. Apparently the injury to Finlay may be real and he suffered some kind of mishap during the angle.
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The Undertaker has undergone hip surgery, according to ProWrestling.net. He had been suffering from hip and back pain for several months and the hope is that the surgery will eliminate the pain in both areas.
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BREAKING POINT REPLACES UNFORGIVEN ON WWE PPV CALENDAR
- WWE has dropped the Unforgiven pay-per-view name and replaced it with
Breaking Point. The show will be similar to the concept of the Extreme Rules
PPV and instead of every match with a stipulation, all matches on Breaking
Point will have to be won via a submission. WWE started using the name
Unforgiven in April 1998 which at that time was part of the In Your House
PPV series. Breaking Point takes place from the Bell Centre in Montréal,
Canada on September 13, the site of the Montreal screw job from 1997. Want
to bet someone will be using the Sharpshooter that night? Tickets go on sale
in July.
> NUGGETS VS LAKERS GAME DEMOLISHES RAW
- Not only did the Nuggets defeat the Lakers on Monday but the NBA broadcast
whooped some WWE ass as well in the ratings so Stan Kroenke must be in his
office having evil laughs right now. RAW - kicked out from Denver and
welcomed in Los Angeles - drew a 3.2 rating off hours 3.08 and 3.38. That is
down from 0.4 from last week’s 3.6. The NBA game on ESPN did a 6.9 rating in
the same time slot. No press releases will be sent out for this defeat.
(Ratings compiled by Nielsen Media Research and put online by PWInsider.com)
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It’s interesting to note that WWE’s new Breaking Point pay-per-view event in September shares its name with UFC 81, the event where Brock Lesnar made his debut for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Speaking of WWE Breaking Point, some reports say that only the top matches on the card will be submission matches and not the whole card.
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In another interesting story floating the net right now, there seems to be photos hitting the web of Matt Striker.
A gossip website that typically doesn’t cover professional wrestling has posted some nude cell phone images allegedly of ECW color commentator Matt Striker.
The gossip website wrote: “Muscle-man wrestler Matt Striker has some NSFW photos floating around the web that are allegedly of his beer can wiener
Well, that’s all for this round, looking forward to keeping you informed of whatever wrestling news floats by my desk, until next time, this is your favorite rabbit thumping out the hard news!!
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